Speed of Sound
by Miyaka the Swordmaster
Summary: Raoul, an acolyte, must live on after the death of his best friend. A world of corruption, battle, and romance awaits the boy as he finds his place in the world...Chapter 5 up.
1. It Begins

((Here we go! This is a log of my own character (Raoul) and my friends' characters' adventures in Rune-Midgard. If I accidentally ever call Saku a girl, lemme know. XD))

* * *

The journey actually started when Saku and Ethros had just become Novices.

Ethros had always had a great interest in magic, so it was only natural he'd want to become a Mage. Saku encouraged him all the way, while he took his own path: the way of the Swordsman. Saku, like Ethros, had chosen that due to his own interests: swords and melee combat.

By the time they'd been appointed their fisrt classes, I was still hanging out in Prontera with my good friend Korva. Korva had begun his own quest a long time before I had and was going to become a Crusader. He always enjoyed protecting the innocent and being as supportive as he could, which led me to wonder why he didn't become an Acolyte instead.

In any case, Korva had joined into a party with Ethros and Saku a while back, and they really had a good time. The first so-called "adventure" they embarked on was "Galactic Conquest" which would begin with expansion of languages. They never got that far, considering those that spoke Portuguese (which is actually a lot of people, considering) only knew limited English. They did, however, learn a few phrases.

Of course, they never got very far, and Korva was too busy training himself to join Saku and Ethros in their ramblings. Korva had always been so dedicated…that's probably why I admire him so much. I guess you could say I'm the same way now as Korva was then.

I was still a naïve little Novice back then. I'm a little younger than the rest of the crew, so I hadn't gotten the chance to be introduced to battle. Korva told me that before he changed his mind to become a Swordsman he'd wanted to be an Acolyte. He said that the only reason he didn't was that he realized how many people were harassed to be healed. He told me that Acolytes were anything but walking potions and that they all had such a depth of character. He encouraged me to take the path of the Acolyte, that I'd be a great asset to the team as their healer.

Of course, considering how much I admired Korva, I couldn't pass up of the opportunity to impress him. Thus, I became an Acolyte. My main goal was to be strong and brave, just as Korva and Saku were, yet strong in mind and powerful with magic like Ethros. I foolishly raised my strength often so that I could battle alongside Korva, and yet at the same time wanted badly to become a Priest when I became able.

The big problem with my choice is that an Acolyte must be strong in mind and weak physically to become a worthwhile Priest. Priests are healers and supporters only, and don't worry of such things as battle. Priests are selfless and do nothing but help others in need. Perhaps that's why I aspired to be just that. No…it was because I wanted to be like Korva.

One day, Ethros and Korva decided that they needed to go to Morroc to become stronger. The monsters in the area were far from strong enough to be a challenge to them, and yet the monsters surrounding Morroc, particularily in the pyramids and the sphinx, were the perfect challenge.

They never came back.

Saku and I worried constantly, wondering where they could have gone, what could have happened to them. I probably worried even more than Saku; Korva meant more to me than anyone else. If he was gone…my _world_ was gone.

* * *

Saku and I were standing by a Kafra woman in the centre of Prontera, being sure to record our respawn points if we happened to fall in battle. We were always so careful… 

As I was thinking to myself about Korva and where he must be now, a light, clawlike tap on my shoulder caught my attention, snapping me out of my reverie. I whirled around to meet eyes with an effeminate thief. He looked to be the deceiving type, letting his pretty-boy looks fool you into a false sense of security.

"My name is Lilliandrei," he told me. "Would you happen to be the friend of a mister Germaine?"

"Yes," I replied, "was his first name Korva?"

He nodded. I felt like I could burst with happiness that moment, thinking of Korva and how much he meant to me, how much I would kill to see him again.

"He's dead."

Instead of bursting with happiness, I burst into tears. I couldn't stand anymore, everything lost its strength. I just fell there onto my knees, tears streaming down my face. Why Korva? Why did he have to die? What about Ethros? He had to have escaped…if he didn't, then…

"As is his good companion Ethros."

Then Saku lost his footing as well, but with an awkward stumble he regained his balance. He was obviously stunned, and trying to hide it.

Lilliandrei simply smiled at us, giggling in a disgustingly feminine way. "Oh, dear. If you want I could…say…take their place. I'm sure you could use a thief. After all, I can give you enough zeny to buy Prontera itself…"

I glared at him. How could he have no sympathy for us? Give us news of the deaths of our companions, and then ask if he could join us? Despicable!

"…Two people is no party."

Lilliandrei's grin widened into a straight out, ear-to-ear smile, and he jumped a little for emphasis of his excitement. "Yes, yes, that's the idea! When can I start?"

I dried my eyes awkwardly with my sleeve, looking up at Lilliandrei with hate, hatred for his femininity, hatred for that ridiculous hair of his (Hah! Blue and covering up an eye? What's wrong with you?), hatred for his stupid impractical clothes. No thief of Morroc would wear such a thick jacket, or that rosy shade of gold, totally off from the sandy color of the desert.

But I digress. I brushed sticky green strands out of my eyes and looked up at Saku. He was smiling down at me. He knelt down to my level and put a calming hand on my shoulder, flashing me a winful smile. "Look, Raoul. Nothing good will come of moping around with angst in your eyes, right? You can remember Korva, and I can remember Ethros, but we can't let those memories keep us down, alright?"

I sighed and stood shakily, glancing from Lilliandrei to Saku. Well, if this was our party, this was our party…

* * *

"Kill it, Saku! It's gonna kill me!"

"Shut up! I can take care of it, I just need to recharge my skill power!"

"Whatever. Here, Raoul! I'll get it for you!"

The Lunatic that had been viciously tearing at my robes was taken off of me. I looked up at the abnormally large ball of snowy fluff and it grinned down at me. It pulled a carrot out of seemingly nowhere and popped it into its mouth, chewing loudly, probably just to annoy us.

"Well, I guess this'll come in handy after all…" I removed the rainbow carrot from my pocket and held it up to the Lunatic. It squealed in delight and hopped out of Lilliandrei'd hands, running up to me and lovingly rubbing up against my side. "Well, I guess it worked…"

Saku clapped in delight and gestured to her Poring. "Well, that's two of us! I've got Mini Satan and you've got…uh…"

"…Sir Charles."

Lilliandrei gave me a horrified look and burst out laughing, falling over and hugging his sides.

Saku smirked, but nothing more. "Great name, Raoul. Korva would be proud."

In truth, the name hadn't come from my own imagination. Korva had kept a tiny doll in his pocket wherever he went, saying it was good luck. He gave it the name Sir Charles, making fun of the Knights by saying they were big falls of fluff compared to Crusaders. I laughed at that, but Korva and I kept it a secret from Saku. Since Saku was journeying to become a Knight, we didn't want to offend him.

Sir Charles hyperactively bounced about my legs, truly living up to the name of his species. I figured raising a Lunatic wouldn't be any walk in the park but…this would probably be more than just a handful.

This would be a huge bucket of fluff…named Sir Charles.

"So, where to next?" Saku tilted his head inquisitively at me, his black hair falling to one side and covering up one of his eyes. For a moment he reminded me of Lilliandrei and his mannerisms, but I let the thought pass. I still hadn't forgiven Lilliandrei for the bad news, and there was no way I was going to if Saku was adopting his behaviour.

"Let's stay here a while. Smokies give good experience and they're a challenge for me."

Lilliandrei raised an eyebrow. "Dude, you're a Battle Acolyte. What kinda challenge is a _Smokie_?"

I waved him off with a bit of annoyance, turning and withdrawing my mace from my belt. With a few quick swings to the torso of a nearby enemy (which was a bit difficult with Sir Charles in my way) it was dead.

"See, what'd I tell you? You do even more damage to those buggers than I do!" Lilliandrei's voice held a mocking sort of enthusiasm. That was one thing I never liked about the thief. He always seemed so cocky, so arrogant, so full of himself. Whatever way you say it, he was a _prick_.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm still weaker than Saku, and if I can't measure up to him, then I'm nothing!"

Lilliandrei sighed and turned around. "Yeah, whatever. Have fun, greenyhead."

I growled at him irritably and picked up Sir Charles, who squeaked with excitement. Saku pulled a flask of carrot juice out of one of his pockets and administered it to the Lunatic, while I simply looked around to spot more prey.

* * *

((Next chapter up soon!)) 


	2. Hey, Mom?

Throughout the next days, Lilliandrei was nothing more than a royal pain in the rear. He was always hyperactive and obnoxious and he made us go to the stupidest places in Rune-Midgard. Whether we traveled to Glast Heim, the second level of the pyramid to the left of Morroc, wherever; we always ended up crawling out gasping for breath, bleeding from cuts too deep to imagine.

Aside from that, Lilliandrei wouldn't stop bothering _me_. He never disturbed Saku, and he never bothered any random passerby the same way he did me. He'd always sneak up behind me and whisper in my ear, usually something along the lines of "Hey, cutie" or "You look even cuter when you're fighting." It made me feel horrible and at the same time nostalgic, thinking of Korva and how he'd compliment me in the same way, but…not with the same words.

Nevertheless, he really _was_ a useful member of the group. He was very fast and able to dodge harmful attacks (while I healed him, of course) and he'd always be up on the front line with Saku. If we hadn't been in a party I'd be up beating the crap out of the monsters as well, since I was definitely strong enough, but as t was I had to focus on healing and boosting my party members' strength with my magic.

After a while he began to grow on me. His attitude was even a little bit endearing, and he always had a way of motivating Saku and me. I don't know whether it was his willingness or his overtly overdone kindness that got me slowly liking Lilliandrei. Heck, maybe a little of him was rubbing off on Saku. I'd seen him begin to have a slyness about him and his style of battle changed, and yet Saku stayed the same old Saku I'd known. If Lilliandrei had any effect on Saku, it didn't really matter; and if that little change in attitude Saku'd gained let him remain the great person that I knew and loved, then Lilliandrei had some endearing qualities too.

We must be seeking something in people. That's what I've learned, I guess. That there has to be something about being with others that attracts us, that makes us want to be around those people. I suppose there were qualities about Lilliandrei that I admired, that I wished I had of my own. Maybe I was just jealous before, and that was why I resented him. Maybe he was too close to Saku. I guess it's not even all that important.

Anyway, we'd just been leaving Prontera a few days later, Sir Charles and Mini Satan being their usual annoying selves, when an older man approached me. He looked regal with his royal blue overcoat and well-combed snowy hair, his eyes sharp and perceptive. He was undoubtedly a Priest, and a high ranking one by the look of it.

"You are Raoul, yes?" he asked me. He was smiling and his eyes softened, leaning down and gesturing for me to do the same. He looked at me in a condescending way, and was still decently taller than me, even at his lowered height. "I have a message for you."

The Priest reached into his overcoat and pulled out a crumpled letter. I took it quickly, hoping it would be from either Ethros or Korva, possibly before they died. Maybe the letter would be of importance; maybe I would be granted Priesthood.

It read:

_Dearest Raoul, Saku, and whoever may be reading this:_

_We are faring well. Our stay in Morroc has been going pleasantly, and Ethros has been getting so much stronger. We sincerely hope you're doing just as well._

_I'm looking forward to seeing you again, Raoul. You looked so happy that day I left and so sad at the same time; happy for me that I was going on a _true_ adventure for once, sad that I was leaving you. You were always such an emotional guy, you know?_

_After we go through the sphinx we'll be done here. We met a lively young fellow named Lilliandrei, and he's been following us around lately. He says the Assassin Academy told him he'd need a partner or two for his recent test._

_Well, I hope you're all doing fine and I hope you become a wonderful troupe of Knight, Priest, and many more accompanying you,_

_Korva I Germaine_

I smiled and handed the letter to Saku and stood up. "So you really _did_ know my friends, didn't you Lilliandrei?"

"Of course I did!" he exclaimed proudly in a squealing tone. He giggled cheerfully and looked over Saku's shoulder, reading the letter with faked interest. "Oh, my. So he really did take notice of me. How lov-er-ly!"

The Priest gave me a friendly pat on the head and stood, gesturing for me to stand as well, in a half commanding way. "Most unfortunate, Raoul. I heard news of Korva's death, and I pity you. I hope to see you again."

He raised a hand into the air, whispered a spell, and vanished.

* * *

"Do you know how to play the grass whistle, Raoul?"

I was confused. Usually Lilliandrei didn't ask me such questions. He asked some stuff like if I noticed he was so incredibly strong or if he could get a heal. And since when did he call me by my name?

"No, Lil, I don't."

"Okay, watch this:" Lilliandrei picked a blade of grass from the ground easily and sat down beside me. I figured I may as well sit down as well, so I did, and he looked satisfied.

He put his hands together so there was a gap between his thubs and put the grass blade between the thumbs so it was stretched tightly. He then cupped his hands and blew hard at the area between his thumbs, making a shrill and deafening squeak.

I couldn't help but grin. Lilliandrei could be silly sometimes, and he was definitely being silly now. "Right, right. Let _me_ try."

I picked a blade of grass just as he did and cupped my hands. Something didn't seem right, though. Lilliandrei smirked, reaching over to me and touching one of my hands. "Here, let me help you with that…" He pulled off the glove easily, placing it to my side. He looked at me in a winning way, flashing me his typical I'm-petending-to-be-innocent-but-I'm-about-to-hit-on-you-shamelessly smile.

I sighed and removed the other glove, ignoring him entirely as I tried the trick as he had shown me. Instead of the clear sound Lilliandrei projected, a crackly sound came from the grass whistle in my hands. Lilliandrei laughed, but I could tell he was laughing _with_ me, and not _at_ me.

I suppose you could say that that evening was when I first realized that Lil really wasn't such a bad guy. He had his strange points and then there was always the fact he obviously liked me in…that way, but he had a good heart. I shouldn't have judged him before, but I guess it's irreversible now.

There was just something about the way he laughed that put me at ease. Like I was totally tranquil and carefree at that moment. Maybe I'm just imagining things, maybe it was just his charming side showing through.

I'll just suffice to say that I learned a lot about Lilliandrei that day.

* * *

The guy wouldn't leave me alone! He'd been following me through the darkest reaches of the Prontera Culvert for several hours now, and he never ceased to annoy me. "C'mon, man! You just gotta help me. I really want a Lunatic…"

"Too bad! Get your own and leave me the hell alone!"

I whirled angrily and glared at him in what I hoped was an intimidating way, but considering that he was a lot older and a lot taller than me, I probably didn't do much.

Nevertheless he backed off and raised his hands to ward me off. "Easy now. I know how you must feel about Sir Charles, but please, be generous! I'm about to get married and I need to give my fiancée what she wanted!"

I buried my hand in my hair and thought about it for a moment. Sir Charles _was_ annoying for a Lunatic, but I hadn't owned him very long yet. He'd gone through only 40 of my carrot juice supply, and there was a lot more I could do with him than just feed him and watch him complain.

"Come on, man!"

"…Yeah. He's yours."

Using the spell Saku had taught me, I waved a hand and uttered the words I had memorized, and Sir Charles was enclosed in a large egg that soon contracted and enclosed him in an infant's prison.

I handed the egg to the warrior, and he smiled and gave me a quick hug. "Thanks, greeny. I needed this guy really bad…trust me, I'll take good care of him."

I continued on my way, my pack slung over my shoulders and my hair in my face. "Yeah, sure. Have fun, man."

The days to come were fairly uneventful. I had a bad cramp in my stomach, so I couldn't do much adventuring. Saku stopped by the Church every now and then to put some flowers by my bed, most with tacky "get well soon" ribbons binding the bouquets together.

Lilliandrei came by a couple times, and most of the time all it was for was to tell me of his recent exciting adventures, making me long even more to be freed of my current situation so that I could go back to my job as my clan's supporter.

Within the time I was sick, the head Priest came by and announced to me that I would not be allowed to become a Priest of the Church of Prontera. I was a bit disappointed and yet at the same time relieved. Maybe I would be a better Monk.

Basically, he told me that not only was I too cruel to monsters (AKA actually fighting and not just healing the crap out of people) but I also didn't look the part. He told me that having green hair wouldn't go over well with the rest of the populace, that it was too wild and unnecessarily unnatural. Of course, my hair _was_ naturally green, but no one would believe that story.

He told me that becoming a Monk was a difficult journey but he believed in me. He stated that through courage and strength of heart I could persevere and become a true warrior. Like I said, hey, why not? Maybe he's right.

But I was still disappointed. I had been wanting to be a Priest for so long, and Korva had even encouraged me to be one. I could have been such a great healer, so great with magic. Not that Monks aren't. I think they're great at magic and attacking both. It's just that I had wanted to be a Priest. A lot. Nothing personal, really.

The next day I felt a little better. I was able to journey outside of Prontera and fight weak monsters without doubling over in pain, and I got a lot of encouraging looks. I guess it was like both a physical and mental boost. I still felt empty though, like my insides had been forcefully removed.

It was also that day that I met for the second time the same Priest that had delivered me the letter.

I had been sitting underneath a tree to get some shade and recharge my magic, and I saw the same familiar tall figure I'd remembered before. He had looked my way at exactly the same time, and when our eyes met it was unmistakable.

He raced over to me swiftly, a smile crossing his face. "Why, if it isn't Raoul, the little trooper!" He sat down by my side. "How've you been?"

I was hesitant at first, considering I didn't know him very well, but I opened up after he gave me an encouraging look. "A bit sick, but I'm okay now. You know, I never did get your name."

"My name is Chrow." The way he said his name was a bit awkward, as if he had been avoiding saying it. "You want to come training with me for a while?"


	3. A Brief FAQ

_**INTERMISSION**_

I'm taking a break from writing. Visit my LJ account (linsama) if you wanna see why.

Thus, I'm taking the opportunity to clear some things up.

**NUMBER ONE**: This story is NOT yaoi. Yaoi, by definition, is sex between two men. It's also not shounen-ai (clean male-male love) or slash (either definition depending on context). Lil's like for Raoul is totally one-sided. You'll see why later.

**NUMBER TWO**: Raoul is a boy. A BOY. NOT A GIRL. Someone said something about my fic and used the female pronoun to describe Raoul.

**NUMBER THREE**: I'm a girl. Not a guy. Raoul is my character in xRO, but he does NOT represent me in ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM. His actions aren't exactly the same actions I'd take and his opinions are usually not mine. If he says something offensive, it's coming from his mouth, not mine.

**NUMBER FOUR**: This fic is totally based off of actual events. I took a few liberties with character personalities (and Chrow's name was changed to keep the identity of his player unknown) and Korva and Ethros didn't actually die. Korva was my old character that I deleted, and Ethros was Chris's old character before he made Lilliandrei. This is, for the most part, a true log of my adventures. I even post periodical screenshots of my journeys to prove it. They'll all be on my LJ.

**NUMBER FIVE**: I don't like whistling or snapping, so no one in the story will do that, regardless of actual events. No, this isn't important. I just wanted to let you know.

**NUMBER SIX**: Yes, this fic was named after the song "Speed of Sound" by Coldplay. However, it is NOT a songfic.

I hope that answered some questions.


	4. Ashana

Chrow was always so kind to me. He reminded me of Korva in so many ways. Sometimes I wondered if he was Heaven-sent to help me get over my grief for my late loved ones. Speaking of love…

"Man, that bandana sure looks sexy on you." Lilliandrei winked seductively at me and I sighed, rolling my eyes as usual. God, that man had no morals.

"Yeah, sure."

He fluttered his eyelashes and grasped my shoulders tightly, making me quiver. Why did he always have to make me feel uncomfortable like this? "Oh, you know it's true, greeny. You know."

I wanted to save my babblings on my beliefs for later, but still, I couldn't help it. "Look, Lil. I don't believe in homosexual relationships."

That shut him up.

We continued walking, with him being more fierce to our enemies than before for some reason. He stopped me after a skeleton archer fell and shot me a cold glare. "Love is love, Raoul. And I love you."

I didn't know what to say. The Church of Prontera had always brought me up to believe that Heaven was reserved for those that believed in and practiced the traditional value of heterosexuality. I wasn't exactly the best example of masculinity myself, but I was most certainly not as flamboyantly…gay as Lilliandrei was.

I had to respond eloquently, yet carefully. If I said the wrong thing he might hate me for life, but if I said something too nice he'd just turn around and kiss me. Not the kind of response I wanted.

"The Church may have screwed me over, Lilliandrei. But that doesn't change my mind. I was raised on my beliefs and I can't change them for you. I don't mind if you love me; just know that I will _never_ love you back."

Lilliandrei looked hurt, but simply shrugged the issue off and we continued fighting. The enemies seemed progressively weaker as we made our way out of Payon Cave, until we at last collapsed on our knees outside the dark entrance.

And then, I met Ashana.

I heard a tapping of hard-soled boots and I followed the sound until my eyes met the slim figure of an attractive young female. She was dressed in traditional acolyte uniform, a wooden stave tucked in her belt. Her cloud-light lavender hair touched her shoulders just barely, curled up slightly at the ends. She wore a violet ribbon similar to mine, but tucking into her hair on the opposite side, as was traditional.

She stopped by my side and smiled down at me with her friendly eyes, then sat carefully and glanced over at Lilliandrei. He glared at her, probably protectively. He always acted that way with me, after all.

Her gaze returned to me and I smiled back. "So, are you going to be a Priest, or a Monk?" she asked me in a gentle voice, as soft and easy as her appearance.

"A Monk, most likely," I answered. "And you?"

"A Priestess. I'm going the path of full support. Do you that that's too stereotypical?" She seemed almost worried.

"What do you mean?"

She giggled, blinking her eyes cutely. "Oh, I mean, would that be too stereotypical for a girl? So many girls are portrayed as weak and never as fighters."

"Oh, of course not. If you wanna go that path, I'll support you all the way!" I made sure my voice was encouraging, but not too familiar. I could tell Lil was glaring daggers in her direction.

"My name is Ashana," she told me, extending her hand for me to take. I took it gently and shook it gently, then withdrawing my own hand and returning it to my side.

"I'm Raoul."

* * *

I helped Ashana with her training for a while, since Lilliandrei had to go and, thankfully, he went without a fight. She wasn't very strong, and had told me she had just graduated from Novicehood. As I explained that I was nearly a Monk she became very excited, telling me she hoped my test went well, and that I became a strong and faithful warrior. She was always so kind to me and even to everyone else. Ashana didn't like attacking the monsters we encountered. Instead she simply cast heal on the skeletons and zombies, turning her head as they fell.

Yet, I never thought of her as weak or overly dependant. She could more than hold her own in a fight, but she preferred not to, instead using her magic as much as possible. I admired her for that.

We took a brief break in which we exchanged our stories. It turned out that Ashana and I had been assigned the same journey to become acolytes. She'd been much more prepared, however, and had known how to play dead so perfectly that the aggressive monsters wouldn't touch her.

Ashana came off as an incredibly smart girl. She knew a lot more about Rune-Midgard than I had at that time, and she seemed so experienced for one that was, in truth, very _in_experienced. She seemed to have a lot of willpower and a lot of caring for the wellbeing of others. It was an endearing feature, and probably what made me like Ashana so much. Then again, Chrow had the same personality, and Korva came fairly close.

When Ashana told me it was time she left and went back to her camp, I smiled and let her leave. I, myself, returned to Prontera. I felt I was ready for my test for Monkhood, and if I wasn't, no one was.

* * *

I carefully stepped out of the abbey, adjusting my hood carefully.

I was greeted by a loud whistle and a round of applause, plus a plethora of friendly faces.

Saku was the first to approach me. He clapped me on the shoulder with his gauntlet-coated hand, and gave me a wink and a thumbs-up of approval. He looked pretty nice in his new Knight's uniform, and I assume he thought I looked okay as well.

Lilliandrei, as I had expected, greeted me a little differently. He leaned over and planted a kiss on my cheek, plus a whispered "encouragement."

Ashana and Chrow both came forward and hugged me tightly, with Chrow ruffling my hair and giving me a peck on the opposite cheek. (Sometimes I even wondered if Chrow felt a little inclined toward the same sex, but let's save that story for another day.)

I adjusted my robe. It felt a bit awkward, the purple fabric a bit thin for my likings. Also, the lack of a shirt made me feel a little exposed, especially with my lack of muscle. The pants fit well, though, and I rather liked the belt. Luckily I got to keep my older boots.

However, the hood bothered me like nothing else. It never stood up the right way, and it fit oddly, as opposed to how it would fit anyone with the appropriate figure.

In any case, I was a Monk now.

I flashed a grin and cast my old warping spell, opening a portal to Prontera.


	5. Kiss

I remember the time Korva and I were sitting on a hilltop in the east of Prontera, watching the clouds. He had said a lot of things that day that I'll never forget, but the one that will forever haunt me was the last one he said. He probably never thought much about it, either, but I've been thinking on it a lot lately, and it's been bothering me like nothing else:

_All heal and no fight makes Raoul a dull Acolyte._

A few things he said were full of bad puns, while others were philosophical and meaningful. Korva was the only one I knew that could pull off comparing bandages and life and have it make sense.

I've met a lot of other people that have reminded me of Korva, but Chrow still stands in the lead. His kindness despite his setbacks will never cease to amaze me. Ashana comes close as well, followed by Lunarfade, an acolyte I've met only recently. Lunarfade and I both had the same goal as Acolytes: to be monks. He's still behind me, but he's catching up.

Those thoughts aside, I ought to return back to what I'm supposed to be narrating: my story.

The next time I saw Lilliandrei, he had changed more than I'd expected he would have. After we'd returned to Prontera he told me he was going to cut his hair so he could see out of his good eye. He _had_ cut his hair, but also dyed it red, and he now wore bright green.

Something wasn't right about his behavior, either. No matter what I'd say, he usually responded in the shortest way possible, and he always seemed so nervous and upset. I figured it had something to do with the mention of my engagement.

_"Oh, hey, Lilliandrei! You won't believe this!"_

_"What is it?"_

_"I'm getting married."_

_"…Oh. Who's the lucky bride?"_

_"I can't tell you."_

_"I have some news as well. I'm not going to be an assassin anymore."_

_"What?"_

_"I'm gonna be a Rogue. Will you like me more that way?"_

_"I'm getting married, Lil."_

_"…Oh, yeah…"_

_"Does this mean you'll stop stalking me?"_

_"…No."_

I had to hand it to him: he was one persistent guy. And yet, he didn't seem that way anymore. Maybe it was his hunched stance, his upset and hopeless expression, his lack of intelligible responses. He was…distant.

There was only one person I knew who could act that way, and that was Saku. Whenever I'd mention Korva or Ethros in passing, he'd get this upset look on his face and say nothing. He'd pull back on the reigns of his PecoPeco and just stare off into space, sitting there…

Despite Saku's and my own class advancement, very little changed in the group other than Lilliandrei's withdrawal. We still ran around, committing the same crimes and doing the same good deeds as we always had. Until one day in the campsite, when Lil revealed a little more than I would have liked to know about my late compatriots.

"_Yeah, the assassin guild tricked me too. Just like the Church screwed you over pretty bad, Raoul. But with this, they made me…kill other people._

_"I was going to the Pyramid of Morroc to gain my job title of thief, and two assassins approached me. They told me the only way I could prove myself was to murder two "menacing characters" and do away with them without evidence."_

At this point I was shocked, to say the least. Was he referring to Korva and Ethros? If he was, then nothing good…had he…had he _killed_ my two friends?

"_I tricked the two adventurers into going into the Sphinx with me. As soon as we were attacked by powerful monsters I grabbed their weapons and ran, hurrying for the exit, not turning back to watch as they screamed in horror, bones breaking and blood splattering on the walls…_

"_I returned to the assassin guild to see if my performance had gone over well. The two from earlier just laughed and said that they were meaning to do away with Korva and Ethros themselves but decided they didn't want to have to get their clothes dirtied…so they made _me_ do it. I was infuriated, of course. After that I decided to retreat to Prontera and live out my life as a rogue thief, joining the parties I needed to to become a fine assassin, better than those two fools that were man enough to trick me._

"_But now I changed my mind. I'm gonna be a Rogue, and a good one at that._"

He had said it all so carelessly, as if he didn't think it some kind of terrible act of injustice that he had murdered my two friends, albeit indirectly. I remained silent for the rest of that night, and Saku said very little. We hoped Lil would notice our behaviour and apologize for his insolence, but he never did. Yeah, that's thieves for you…

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The beds at the inn were softer than I'd expected.

I'd opted to share a room with Saku, since I most certainly didn't want to share one with Lilliandrei. God knows what he'd do. Anyway, since we only had enough zeny for two rooms, Saku decided he'd sleep on his PecoPeco, and considering we were in Alberta, they didn't mind us having pets.

But I digress. I'd woken up feeling incredibly good, but Lilliandrei was quite the opposite. I heard someone crying from the other room, and I figured he was still upset about something, so I crept into his room to visit him. Hopefully Saku wouldn't wake up anytime soon and get suspicious.

As soon as I got in there Lil spoke to me. His voice was crackly and he spoke between sobs, but I could make it out clearly, "I hate you. I hate you so much…"

"Why?" I took a few steps closer until I was right by his side, and I bent over to get a better look at him. Naturally he turned away, his short red hair obscuring most of his face. I could, definitely, see tears, but that was it. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be such a jerk before. I'm really, really sorry…is there anything I can do to make it up to you?"

He said nothing.

"I…" I was going to try something a bit risky, but I knew it would cheer him up somehow. Even if it was a lie, it was a white lie, and it would help him get over his depression. "I don't know how to say this, but…ahh, Hell. I guess actions speak louder than words."

He looked up to me quizzically, his wide eyes reddened, but his sobbing had subsided for the most part. I sighed and leaned over so our faces were inches apart, and then I did it. I kissed Lilliandrei.

It calmed him down, but rather than staring at me in disbelief and flooding me with questions as I'd expected, he returned the kiss. He was a lot stronger and I was forced to back up to the wall, but the kiss was soft and tender, and I could tell it had feeling behind it unlike mine.

Just as he was about to go a bit deeper (and thank the Lord he didn't) the door swung open and Saku came in. Lilliandrei hurriedly pulled away before Saku could notice anything, and I just looked as casual as possible, which was hard, considering I was blushing pretty hard. Who wouldn't be?

Saku smiled knowingly, but I sure as heck hoped he didn't think what I thought he did. This would take some explaining anyway, but I wasn't exactly in the mood. "Time for us to go." He slowly stepped out of the room, and I looked at Lil. He gave me a brief hug (much to my embarrassment) and followed Saku out the door.

Without much thought, I followed them.


End file.
